Chapter Four Baldr

I t was nearly three days before we were sure nobody was buried in the rubble that used to be the resort. The guests were told there was a gas leak resulting in an explosion that leveled part of the building. However, those of us in the pack knew better. With a couple wolves leading the local fire and police departments, we were told the truth.

Someone had placed plastic explosives in the heart of the resort, knowing it would take out all the major utilities and cause a chain reaction. The moment Thor and I were told the truth, I knew it was Loki that had led Tyr to that spot. Only he would know how to get in and deal us such a considerable blow. But, either by luck or plan, that section of the resort had been nearly empty. And thanks to Flynn’s quick thinking with the fire alarm, what few wolves we had stationed in that part had gotten out before it was leveled.

It seemed, for as much loss as we’d endured, luck was somehow on our side. Not a single wolf or guest suffered more than scratches and bruises that night. Well, everyone except Loki. After he’d shielded me from that grenade, I didn’t have time to see if he was breathing or not before Heimdall took him. A part of me hoped he was still alive. Another part of me realized that even if he was, Thor would probably kill him if he ever showed his face again.

But we didn’t have time to think about that at the moment. Thor and I were far too busy shuttling guests out to other hotels to the north or getting them back home as quickly as possible. At the same time, we had to find housing for our wolves. The other half of the hotel had been deemed structurally sound so that we could keep living there. But with no utilities and no heat at the top of a freezing cold mountain, there wasn’t much point in staying.

The small town of Fenris, thankfully, was home to at least three small hotels for summer guests not going to the hot springs. They were empty during the winter, so Thor called in a favor and took all the rooms available in the entire town. However, that didn’t leave any for us, so we decided to take up residence in Nana’s house at the bottom of the mountain.

It was a small house with only two bedrooms. That meant it was barely large enough for Nana and Flynn, much less two werewolves on top of that. Nana took her old room of course and I wouldn’t let the other two take the couch. Flynn had a bed that was just barely big enough for the two of them and I didn’t feel right taking it for myself. So I slept on the couch. Not that I did much sleeping though. Nana was a light sleeper who had a tendency to get up at two in the morning for a light snack. Then she was up again at five to make her coffee for the day and watch the sun come up. She always tried to be quiet for my sake, but I found it almost impossible to sleep through.

Not only that, but now that the other wolves had been moved into town, that meant farm chores were on our heads. Nana was far too old to be doing all of them herself, so Flynn took over. Usually he dragged Thor out into the farmyard at the ass crack of dawn to help him feed everyone breakfast. I helped a little bit, but I also wasn’t much of an animal person. Maybe that was a little odd considering I was part wolf, but I didn’t have much time to think about it. My mind was far too preoccupied with what Loki had told me before he was… well, blown up.

I’d tried several times to reach out with my magic and see if he was still alive. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the spell to work. I remembered my mother being able to do such things. She could even communicate telepathically over long distances, something else that I couldn’t seem to figure out. But no matter how hard I tried or tried to channel her wisdom, I just couldn’t do it and it made me want to scream.

So I was stuck at the bottom of the mountain with a mountain of responsibilities and no idea if one third of my family was still alive. The only thing I had to go on was the message he’d given me. I wanted to go to the hot spring straight away, but with everything that needed to be done, I spent my entire day either on the phone or looking after our pack. Thor needed my help and I couldn’t abandon him just yet.

However, as our third day since the attack drew to a close, I knew I couldn’t wait much longer. I’d found a handful of minutes to escape to the front porch, taking a seat in one of Nana’s rocking chairs. All the snow had been swept off the porch, but there was still a cold bite in the air as the sun sank below the horizon. I rocked back and forth, staring up at the last pinks and golds reflected on the underside of the clouds. If I had to guess, I’d say it was going to snow all night.

“Sit out here for much longer and your ass is gonna freeze to that chair,” Nana’s voice said as she stepped out onto the porch. She took a seat in the chair next to me and glanced back and forth before taking a partially crushed box out of her thick robe. I could smell the tobacco before she even pulled out a cigarette. “Don’t tell Flynn about this,” she said, casting me a sideways glance. “I’d never hear the end of it. He’d tell me it’s not good for me.”

“He’d be right,” I smiled. “But I won’t tell him.”

“He might be right, but I’m old as shit,” she laughed, lighting her cigarette with a lighter she pulled from her breast pocket. “Let an old woman enjoy her vices.” She took a long drag, savoring every second before she blew the smoke up into the sky. “So why are you out here sulking in the freezing cold, huh? What’s got you all wound up?”

“It’s nothing important,” I said, shaking my head.

“Try me.”

I glanced back toward the front door, making sure it was firmly shut. Thor and Flynn were inside and I didn’t want them to overhear anything I was about to say.

“I don’t know if my brother is a traitor or not,” I said softly. “And I’m not even sure if he’s alive anymore.”

“This is Loki, right? The grumpy one?”

“Yeah.”

“Your brother seems pretty convinced he’s joined that crazy bastard.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” I whispered, shaking my head. “He had the chance to let me get hurt. Really hurt. And he protected me… might have even given up his life for me.”

She took another long drag on her cigarette, mulling it over as she chewed on the smoke. “So why not tell your brother and clear his name? It seems to be eating him alive that his own kin would betray him like that.”

“I don’t know… maybe because we’ll have to face the fact that he could be dead.” But I stopped, knowing that wasn’t right. “Or because I feel like there’s something larger at work here.” I reached out, cupping my hand under the falling snow. “And every time I feel like I’m close to finding it, the feeling melts away.” I glanced back over at her. “He told me something… but I’d have to leave to retrieve it and Thor has everyone, including me, on lockdown.”

She just laughed at that, her cigarette glowing in the gathering darkness. “What the hell does that matter? You got something to do, boy, you go and do it!”

“You think that’s the smart thing to do?”

“Let me tell you something,” she said, tucking the cigarette into the corner of her mouth. “Back when my husband and I were young and still hunting your kind, we had to rely on instinct. Instincts are the difference between life and death when someone or something wants you dead. There were plenty of situations where we didn’t have time to confer and plan and overthink. We had to simply feel and do the best we could.” Her cigarette glowed, lighting her face in a red glow as she inhaled. “And it always worked out for us. At least until the end…”

There was a long pause, an expression of melancholy darkening her features. Sure, she’d been a werewolf hunter in a previous life, but that didn’t stop me from feeling sorry for her. Losing someone you loved was a terrible thing to experience. And one I was all too familiar with.

“Anyway, I realize now that for all those years, I was making a mistake hunting your kind. The days of dark forests and missing townsfolk are far behind us. I was holding onto the past and tradition too tightly to see that.” She glanced up at me, a grin curling at the edge of her lips. “So what I’m saying is this. You need to follow your instincts. If your gut is telling you to go, then go. And forget what you’re supposed to be doing. Just because your brother is the Alpha doesn’t mean you have to listen to every little thing he says as tradition dictates. He’s acting out of fear but you… I can see the fire in your eyes. Something or someone is calling you.” She reached out, patting me on the knee. “So go get it. And if it turns out to be nothing, you won’t regret trying.”

“And what if I find something I don’t want to know?”

Her gaze fixed on me for a long moment. “The truth is always better than false hope, even if it hurts.”

Something about the way she said it made me feel like she had far too much experience with that sort of thing. And I didn’t doubt her either. A lifetime of being a werewolf hunter was sure to come with a lot of heartache. It was odd to feel sorry for someone that had made a living murdering my kind, but I couldn’t help it. She wasn’t that hunter anymore though. She was nothing more than an old lady living alone on the mountain. There was a lot of past behind her and not much future in front. It was a unique perspective that I couldn’t even begin to fathom.

“Alright,” I nodded. “I’ll go.”

“Good,” she nodded. “I’ll tell Thor and Flynn you had something important to do.”

“I’m not sure where this’ll lead me,” I added. “But I’ll be back as fast as I can.”

“I’ll let them know,” she smiled. “Go on now. Git!”

I patted her on the shoulder before I stepped off the porch. With one last wave, I headed across the farmyard and crossed into the woods as I headed up the mountain.

The journey to the hot spring wouldn’t take me long. I just hoped whatever Loki had left me there explained what was going on, at least in some capacity. I was already doing Thor a disservice by ignoring his orders. I just hoped it was worth it.